~ An Alzheimer's Journey and Beyond

Better days….

While there have still been some rough patches over the past couple of days, I’m relieved to say that Mom seems to be on a slightly more even keel. No change in meds, so the mystery remains just that… a mystery.

When I was there last, she was making all kinds of funny faces and I captured a few here. So nice to see her smiling again.

A quick story from that same visit. When I went into the house, she was finishing her dessert (chocolate cake), and it was pretty much everywhere. Susie got a wet cloth and took one of Mom’s hands, wiped it off, then Mom gave Susie her other hand without being asked. She cleaned that, then oh-so-gently wiped the crumbs and frosting from her face. My mom laid her head back on the chair, looked up at Susie so lovingly, and said very sweetly, “Thank you…”

I had to fight back tears. The poignance of that moment was indescribable. There’s that oh-so-familiar dichotomy – tragic and heartwarming all at the same time. This is a scene you would expect to see between a very young child and her caregiver… It’s so hard to wrap your head around the reality and insanity of the entire situation sometimes. These are the moments I’ll remember forever, though.